7 hours agoTampa Bay Rays shortstop
Taylor Walls (hip) has started a spring training-type progression at the team's spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla., which will take about two weeks before he starts getting into games. Manager Kevin Cash said the team received a "very good report" from Walls' visit with Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd on April 1. But given the amount of time that Walls has missed, it's likely he'll have to recreate a progression similar to spring training when he returns to game action. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 20 after having surgery on Oct. 27 of last year to fix a labral tear and to relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hit. It's something that Walls had been dealing with for more than a year. It's unclear what Walls' role will be when he eventually returns to the majors, but it's likely to be a bench role.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitching prospect
Maddux Bruns tossed four shutout innings on Wednesday. He struck out seven and allowed just two hits and one free pass. After allowing just one earned run in his first start of the season, the 21-year-old has kept the scoresheet clean in his previous three starts. On the season, the former first-round selection holds a 0.71 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 12 ⅔ innings at High-A. Bruns struggled at this level last season with a hefty 4.74 ERA last season and has clearly begun to figure things out. He is ranked as the 14th overall prospect in the Dodger system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the major leagues next season. Dynasty managers should pay close attention to see if Bruns carries this momentum into Double-A when he is prompted there later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
8 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Chris Devenski (knee) is throwing pain-free bullpen sessions and will soon face hitters in live batting practice at the team's spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla. Devenski landed on the injured list on April 29 (retroactive to April 26) with right-knee tendinitis. Devenski said he was optimistic that he wouldn't miss much time. An MRI exam on April 30 revealed what manager Kevin Cash called "pretty strong patella tendinitis." The 33-year-old swingman is now ramping up his throwing program and could return to the Rays before the end of May, barring any setbacks with his knee. When he's healthy enough to be reinstated from the injured list, Devenski will return to a relief role for Tampa. He's not on the fantasy radar, though, and was sporting a 7.71 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with 11 K's and six walks in 14 innings before his injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
8 hours agoWashington Nationals outfield prospect
Dylan Crews went 3-for-5 at the plate on Wednesday with two doubles and four RBI. After starting off slow at Double-A with a .224/.296/.367 slash line through April, the top prospect in Washington has bounced back with a strong showing through the first half of May. Since May 1, the 22-year-old has a .303/.400/.636 line with one long ball and a solid 6:10 BB:K. This is an excellent sign for the former LSU Tiger, as he is now clearly settled in at Double-A and showcasing his elite talent. MLB Pipeline ranked Crews as the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball in their updated rankings earlier this month and projects him to reach the major leagues this season. The former No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft should be rostered in all keeper and dynasty leagues and could be worth stashing in redraft formats when he is promoted to Triple-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
8 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot (leg) was placed on the 15-day injured list after being struck by a line drive against the Mets on May 5, but he said he felt good after throwing a bullpen session off the mound on Sunday.
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8 hours agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Nolan Jones (back) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday and went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a strikeout for the Isotopes while playing five innings in left field. It was the 26-year-old's first game since going on the 10-day injured list in late April with a lower-back strain. If Jones doesn't suffer any setbacks in the minors, he should be ready to return to the big-league roster pretty soon, possibly as early as this weekend against the Giants in San Francisco. The former second-round pick of the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 hit nearly .300 in 2023 with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases, so his power/speed combination makes him intriguing in all fantasy formats, especially playing half his games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. His fantasy managers will be hoping he can turn around his slow start in 2024 when he's activated, as he's currently slashing .170/.243/.277 with a homer and seven RBI in 26 games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
8 hours agoNew York Yankees top prospect
Jasson Dominguez (elbow) will be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and not rejoin the Yankees as a starting center fielder or bench player when he completes his rehab assignment in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Dominguez's 20-day rehab assignment will be up on June 4. The 21-year-old is rusty after having surgery last Sept. 20 and then rehabbing with no games for almost eight months, so he's understandably rusty, and the Yankees may choose not to bring him to the majors at all in 2024. At the very minimum, Dominguez needs a month of building up since he didn't play at all in spring training. As the DH for Low-A Tampa on Tuesday in his first rehab game, the young switch-hitter went 1-for-3 with a walk in four trips to the plate. He will DH for about two weeks and then start playing in center field. Despite this news, the guy they call the Martian still deserves to be stashed in most fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NJ Advance Media - Randy Miller
8 hours agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton (knee) will play another minor-league rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, and if all goes well, he'll be back from the injured list to rejoin the Twins on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians. Buxton went 0-for-3 while playing seven innings in center field on Wednesday in his first rehab game with St. Paul and should be cleared to return to the big leagues if he gets through one more game with the Saints on Thursday. The 30-year-old oft-injured outfielder has already had surgery on the same knee twice and has been sidelined with right-knee inflammation since early May. Fantasy managers should expect the Twins to ease Buxton back into the fold when he returns, but if his knee cooperates, he'll eventually return to starting duties in center field.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Darren Wolfson
8 hours agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
Bryan Woo picked up his first win of the season in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals. The righty went five-and-a-third innings in his second start off the IL, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out five. In his two starts, the 24-year-old has allowed just one earned run in nine-and-two-thirds IP with a 0.62 WHIP. After a solid debut in 2023 and a couple of strong spring starts, it was disappointing to see Woo head to the IL before the season began, but managers who held on to the pitcher are now being rewarded for their patience. He'll have a tough road test his next turn through the rotation, as Woo takes on the Yankees in New York on Tuesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoLos Angeles Angels starting pitcher
Griffin Canning earned his second win of the year on Wednesday in a 7-2 victory over the Cardinals. Canning went six innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and three walks while striking out five. The lone run came on a solo shot off the bat of
Paul Goldschmidt. After a rough start to the season, Canning has pitched well in his three May starts, posting a 1.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, a 6:13 BB:K, and limiting opponents to a .190 batting average. His May LOB% of 98.7% is not sustainable though, so he's probably due for some regression. We'll see if he can keep it up as the 28-year-old will take on Houston on the road in his next start.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb picked up his fourth win of the season on Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the Dodgers. Webb threw six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and three walks (also one HBP) while striking out five. The 27-year-old now has a 3.03 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 12.0% K-BB% on the year. While the low strikeout rate is a bit disappointing (18.7%) and his walks are up over last year (6.8% vs 3.6%), he's limited batters to just two home runs in 59 1/3 IP. The righty will take on a Pittsburgh team on the road his next time out. The Pirates have scored the fifth-fewest runs in the league to this point.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Mike Tauchman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Braves. Tauchman's homer set the tone of the game early, as it came on the first pitch of the game off Braves starter
Charlie Morton. The 33-year-old had a solid start to the season, hitting .307 in April with three of his four home runs coming during the month, but so far is hitting just .208 in May. He's still making good contact (80.8% Contact%), walking a lot (16.0% BB%), and his 26 runs scored puts him just one behind the likes of
Freddie Freeman (27), so hopefully this is just a cold spell for him and Wednesday's homer gets him back on track.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Jon Gray improved to 2-1 on the season after throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over the Guardians. The 32-year-old allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out three. The outing was his fourth straight quality start and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Removing the righty's first start of the season (five earned runs allowed) from the equation, Gray has a 1.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 0.19 HR/9, and boasts a 20.0% K-BB% over his last nine appearances (eight starts). He'll be put to the test in his next start, which is against one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park next Tuesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoTampa Bay Rays reliever
Kevin Kelly picked up his first save of the season on Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth to preserve the 4-3 victory over the Red Sox. Closer
Pete Fairbanks pitched the eighth inning, which included both
Rafael Devers and
Tyler O'Neill, while Kelly was tasked with disposing of the bottom of the order. Kelly has some good numbers on the season, with a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a fantastic 1:17 BB:K, but don't expect the saves to come with regularity. If you are in desperate need of saves, Kelly can be picked up and could help your peripherals in the meantime, but he's likely competing with
Jason Adam (save on Monday) for Fairbanks' leftovers, while Fairbanks owners potentially lose out.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect
Josue De Paula hit his first home run of the season for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday. De Paula, 18, is a consensus Top-100 prospect and another potential big asset for the star-studded Dodgers. De Paula got off to a slow start this season, but has gotten going lately and has nine doubles and two triples to go along with 11 stolen bases over his first 25 games. Although he isn't going to help managers in 2024 or even 2025, the 6'3, right-handed offers good bat speed and his power should continue to grow as his body fills out. With the ability to help across the board, dynasty managers should consider De Paula, even though it may be a while until he is able to help at the big-league level.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
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